NBC's National Dog Show Presented by Purina begins second decade of annual Thanksgiving day broadcast

by jmaloni

Mon, Nov 12th 2012 07:05 am

John
O'Hurley and David Frei return to co-host NBC's traditional
holiday special after the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

NBC
will present the 11th annual edition of its popular holiday special
"The National Dog Show Presented by Purina" this Thanksgiving
Day, from noon to 2 p.m. (all time zones), following the telecast of
NBC's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Starting
its second decade on NBC, and celebrating America's continued
fascination with man's best friend, The National Dog Show Presented
by Purina is hosted by actor, author and Broadway star John O'Hurley
("Seinfeld," "Dancing with the Stars") and expert analyst
David Frei, an AKC-licensed judge and host of USA Network's "The
Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show." NBC's Mary Carillo will report
from inside the show ring.

Included
this year are two new American Kennel Club-sanctioned breeds - the
Russell Terrier and the Treeing Walker Coonhound. Also featured is a
team of three dynamic canines carrying on the tradition of the
National Dog Show Therapy Dog Ambassador program. The trio, all from
the Philadelphia area, make regular visits to the Philadelphia Ronald
McDonald House where they actively participate in therapy work with
patients and families.

An
established family holiday tradition, the show reached more than 18
million viewers last year, and is part of a five-hour block of family
programming on the most family-centric holiday of the year.

"The
secret to the show's success quite simple," O'Hurley said. "So
many people love dogs and this is a show the whole family can enjoy.
Thanksgiving is a family day."

The
telecast will showcase some 2,000 purebred canines competing for the
title of "Best in Show," with $20,000 in prize money and enormous
prestige at stake. Unlike traditional dog show coverage, the National
Dog Show offers the country's 65 million pet-owning households an
afternoon of family-oriented features, facilitated by the open format
of the Kennel Club of Philadelphia event. As one of only five
remaining "benched" dog shows, all of the competing breeds are on
display all day for the visiting public.